The Cine Technician (1943 - 1945)

May— June, 1945 THE CINE T E C H N I C I A N "•«.) Standing on flower-bedecked jeep in Patras — Dave Johnson, Peter Hopkinson and Harry Wicken (driver) far been obtained, despite previous tragic attempts, the chance to go to town on tin's little Partisan outpost, where one had the movement in miniature, was too good to be missed. So although technically we were there to cover British operations, we lost no time in contacting the Partisans. The defence of the island was both British and Partisan, and the niosi cordial relal ions existed between the two ; we received nothing but the most willing co-operation. To work with these people was an inspiration and as a result I turned thousands of feet and Dave shot hundreds of stills. We were able to cover' every aspect of the Partisan movement, it was all there. Their training, both amongst them ilves and b\ British, on artillery work, wireless, sabotage; no teacher ever had a more willing (dass of pupils. They would be evacuated from the mainland when wounded, very often by air. and one of the most dramatic sequences we shot was an operation by a British surgical team, assisted by a little Jugoslav nurse, on a Partisan wounded three weeks before on the mainland, and only just got to proper medical attention. Girls of nineteen. lumps of shrapnel in their legs, proud of the fortj odd Germans they had accounted for, and furious at being out of the struggle, even lor a few weeks. No-one had money, it is not used because no-one is paid a cent; they would feel insulted if it was suggested that they should be paid for their part in the liberation of their country. No stricter discipline exists in am; other army, and it is not imposed, but springs from the deep spiritual knowledge that they are the fighters for the new democratic federal Jugoslavia. A.s in an\ people's army, education is considered vital. Every formation has its commissar and daily he, or more likely she, gives the world news round-up. No keener students of world affairs exist. This movement is undoubtedly one of the great stories of the war, and its leader one of its greatest figures. One's first impression of Tito is of a man of stocky good humour, hut u is soon apparent that this is one as] eri of a character of inspired determination and of unparalleled organisational ability. The happy relations between ourselves and the Jugoslavs on this little island should be a happy augury for the Euture. The most moving thing we shot over there was the departure, at dusk, of a battalion, rested and trained, for their homeland, where they were to continue the struggle. As they piled into the little schooner, they were singin their own versions of " Tipperary " and " John Brown's Body" ! Allied unity in song. While on the island we went on one raid on to the mainland of Jugoslavia, it amounted to the landing of British guns, the shelling of an enemy garrison on an adjacent island, and the withdrawal of the force when the mission was accomplished. We went ashore at 2 a.m. in a little fishing village, which had but recently been razed to the ground by the Germans as a reprisal against Partisan activity. The deserted nature of this ruin, which must have been once a pleasant seaside village, made an eerie background to the unloading of the guns. They were manhandled into position and at (i a.m. opened up. German reply was prompt and accurate, apparently our presence was not unknown. However, despite accurate return tire his positions were well plastered and at noon we re-embarked and pushed off. It made quite an interesting little story, the 25-pounders being manhandled up the beach and into position, a fresh angle on the oldest of Army Film Unit subjects, the ■Jo-pounder in action. Such raids as this helped to reduce the German hold on the Dalmatian islands, and soon after, with some British (dements in support, the Partisans cleaned them all up. In late September a Commando patrol in Albania overlooking one of the roads to Sarande, the port for Corfu, discovered that Greek partisans on the other side of the frontier bad cut the only other supply route to Corfu. It was decided to build up the force, capture Sarande and thus take Corfu. So I set sail for Albania once again, this time with Pave Johnson and Denis Fox, an old friend from Ealing. As usual we arrived about midnight, and caughl up on our sleep on the beach until dawn, breakfast and pictures arrived, in just that sequence. While Dave covered activities on the beach, I 'ems and J went inland to shoot the & getting into position for the drive on Sarande. By early afternoon everything was in the can and we went tor a swim. 1 >ave and I were to leave that